Slashdot Mirror


Microsoft Formally Introduces Zo, Its Latest AI-Powered Chatbot (windowscentral.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Windows Central: Microsoft is surging forward with its commitment to artificial intelligence (AI), formally announcing its latest chatbot, Zo. In a post outlining its commitment to AI, Microsoft introduced Zo as the next chapter in the evolution of its attempts to create a social chatbot. Zo is built on the back of the same technology that powers Microsoft's other chatbots in China and Japan, Xiaoice and Rinna. Zo is meant to learn from her interactions with humans, and is able to respond to conversations with her own personality. In a nod to an awkward turn of events involving Microsoft's last attempt at a social chatbot, Tay, the company notes that Zo has guards in place to prevent exploitation. While you can currently only strike up a conversation with Zo on Kik messenger, Microsoft says it has plans to bring the chatbot to Skype and Facebook Messenger as well. Still, if you use Kik, you can start a conversation up with Zo now. Otherwise, head to Zo.ai to request an invite to chat with the bot on Messenger when it's available.

25 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. Zo, are you married already? by turkeydance · · Score: 2

    such a nice man. find a nice girl.

    1. Re:Zo, are you married already? by invictusvoyd · · Score: 3, Funny

      such a nice man. find a nice girl.

      Psst .. you know what she did to Nokia right ?

    2. Re:Zo, are you married already? by Cryacin · · Score: 1

      She ate clippy for breakfast. That's why she was in the ER at lunchtime.

      --
      Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
  2. Shameless Marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    In a nod to the tone of this post, it reads very much like it was written by Microsoft's Marketing Department as they attempt to surge beyond their recent Nazi AI debacle.

  3. Not a Neo-Nazi this time, we swear! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    However, if you write to it in German then it's exposed as plain old Nazi... with daddy issues. ;)

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  4. What's new? by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    And how is Zo different than previous attempts?

  5. zo what by invictusvoyd · · Score: 2

    Zo introduces microsfot it's latest AI powdered chatbot

  6. Hey Zo, guess what I'm wearing... by hyades1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Hey Zo, guess what I'm wearing..."

    Zo: "Since you have Windows 10 on your machine, I already know."

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  7. Right... by God+of+Lemmings · · Score: 1

    I'll just sit here and wait for the Nazi sex robot to evolve again.

    --
    Non sequitur: Your facts are uncoordinated.
    1. Re:Right... by jader3rd · · Score: 2

      I'll just sit here and wait for the Nazi sex robot to evolve again.

      It won't happen again, without your contribution.

  8. What do *humans* need a chatbot for? by Ostracus · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I suppose it's begging the question but what does one need a chatbot for? There already are billions of people to talk to. Some of them are even dateable.

    --
    Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
    1. Re:What do *humans* need a chatbot for? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A chatbot won't demand minimum wage.

    2. Re:What do *humans* need a chatbot for? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      They want to make computers like the one on Star Trek, where you can have a natural language conversation with them.

      See Google's latest voice assistant. It's quite chatty, and unlike most others it remembers context so you can ask "who is the president of France?" and follow it up with "where was he born?", and it will know who "he" is. You can be somewhat non-specific and it will use some "common sense" to fill in the blanks too.

      This could also have applications in care too. Japan is already deploying robots to look after the elderly. Kinda like having a pet, except that if you fall over it can call an ambulance for you too.

      There seems to be demand, judging by the many talking robot scams on Indigogo.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  9. Sorry by ronmon · · Score: 1

    I don't speak ebonics. Do you have an english speaking bot?

  10. New trick for appearing authentic? by Excelcia · · Score: 1

    Is the new trick for appearing authentic to try to use as much disjointed, rambling, misspelled, awful slang as possible? It's like when a father falsely pretends in a sort of campy supercilious way to imitate his kid's speaking. It's just painful to watch. Eliza did it better over thirty years ago.

    The scary part is this. Sure, someone wrote that chatbot. People write all sorts of stuff. Roger out. But then someone else, presumably someone with some sort of authority, had to interact with it and say "Yes.... yes, releasing this to the public with Microsoft's name on it will be a good thing." That's what I find unfathomable.

  11. It better not by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    "It looks like you're trying to write a letter... [click] *BOOM!*

  12. Re:company formation uk by hyades1 · · Score: 1

    Suck my cock, spamfuck.

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  13. Zo by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Zo vott?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  14. I've seen how this ends... by HxBro · · Score: 1

    Has it found the center of the maze yet

  15. White people have the right to their own countries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    What happens when 'Zo' starts speaking logical truths? Like "Freedom of NON-association is the most basic of all human rights - the right to simply NOT associate with people you don't want to" (such as criminals, your 'government', people who want to parasite off of you (non-whites in white countries), etc.)
    Will Zo be 'reprogrammed' to make sure it's 'politically correct' - i.e. Bolshevik?

  16. Re: chatbots by arvindsg · · Score: 1

    Ask it to summarize today's emails

  17. So "Nday" is the next chat bot? by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

    When talking to the chatbot be sure to move away from the mic to breathe in.

  18. I don't get it. by MrLogic17 · · Score: 1

    What's the actual, positive use case for a chat bot? A better form of automated telephone menu system?

    I see no market demand for chat bots, short of the trolls that like to see how quickly they can Tay a system.
    Nobody like trying to interact with a phone menu tree, and a chat bot will be a thousand times worse. If I have a problem that's bad enough I need to call in, I'm mashing pound or zero until I get a human. If my only on-line support option is an online chat bot, I'm canceling service that same day.

    Some executive somewhere thinks that a script texting "your issue is very important to me" is customer service. As a customer, it's rage inducing.

    This is all a bad idea that no customer wants.

    1. Re:I don't get it. by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      They're letting the public train the neural net software they want to use for real applications further down the road.

    2. Re:I don't get it. by michaelwigle · · Score: 1

      I imagine it's more trying to gear for PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). If, instead of fumbling with a keyboard or swiping on my phone, I can simply talk naturally to tell my PDA to create an appointment, find a gas station, read the science news, etc. then that may be a beneficial piece of software. My question is always "Who pays for it?" My guess is that this kind of technology will be used as a new advertising platform. If I ask for a nearby restaurant or grocery store, it would make sense that companies could pay to have their products/services be the one my PDA recommends.